rtms for depression
rTMS for Anxiety Disorders
Depression is a common but serious disorder that can impact your behaviour, thoughts, and feelings. It is often marked by persistent sadness and a lack of interest in activities that once brought joy. Unfortunately, some individuals are resistant to traditional treatments, meaning they have not experienced improvement even after trying multiple antidepressants. When this happens, the chance of responding to another antidepressant becomes as low as 15%. In such cases, rTMS treatment for depression has emerged as a promising alternative. rTMS for depression offers hope to those struggling with treatment-resistant depression, providing a highly effective option.
Depression is a multifactorial disease with multiple possible causes, including abnormal mood regulation in the brain, genetic susceptibility, and environmental stress. Specific circuits in the brain which are responsible for mood are believed to be abnormal in patients with depression.
Common treatments for depression include medications such as antidepressants and psychotherapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
There is strong evidence to support the use of rTMS for treatment-resistant depression. Multiple large studies have consistently found rTMS treatment for depression to be an effective treatment (2). A comprehensive review concluded patients with treatment-resistant depression were five times more likely to achieve remission (complete elimination of symptoms) than control (3). Approximately 60% of people with depression will get better with rTMS and 35-40% may find they have no symptoms of depression after treatment (4). rTMS for depression may also increase the efficacy of antidepressants in patients who are not treatment-resistant (4). In addition, combining psychotherapy with rTMS for depression may increase its effectiveness (5).
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a non-invasive, highly effective treatment that uses electromagnetic impulses that pass easily through the skull to stimulate abnormal brain activity without any systematic side effects or downtime.
- Howland, R. H. (2008). Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR* D)–Part 2: Study Outcomes. Journal of psychosocial nursing and mental health services, 46(10), 21-24.
- Holtzheimer, P. 3., Russo, J., & Avery, D. H. (2001). A meta-analysis of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in the treatment of depression. In Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE): Quality-assessed Reviews [Internet]. Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (UK).
- Gaynes, B. N., Lloyd, S. W., Lux, L., Gartlehner, G., Hansen, R. A., Brode, S., … & Lohr, K. N. (2014). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treatment-resistant depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Journal of clinical psychiatry, 75(5), 0-0.
- Maneeton, B., Maneeton, N., Woottiluk, P., & Likhitsathian, S. (2020). Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation combined with antidepressants for the first episode of major depressive disorder. Current Neuropharmacology, 18(9), 852–860. https://doi.org/10.2174/1570159×18666200221113134
- Donse, L., Padberg, F., Sack, A. T., Rush, A. J., & Arns, M. (2018). Simultaneous RTMS and psychotherapy in major depressive disorder: Clinical outcomes and predictors from a large naturalistic study. Brain Stimulation, 11(2), 337–345. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brs.2017.11.004
